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Friday, April 29, 2005

film - The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy

2.5/5

Based on the 70s BBC radio play and subsequent best-selling 70s book series, The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy left me feeling somewhat indifferent. At times, it was amusing, but I’m sure much of the humour was lost on me, due to the British accents that at times were hard to decipher.

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, you may find the film tedious. There are parts that don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, but there’s humour at every turn. Our hero Arthur Dent was whisked off Earth by best friend and alien Ford Prefect, who was undercover as a human. Dent also left without finalizing any romance with the woman he was smitten with, after meeting her briefly at a party. She ended up taking up with an outlandish character dressed up like a glam rocker from the 70s. We later learn that this dude with the oilman lingo is a major character in the film. There’s so much non-stop action that we don’t really get a chance to get inside the character of Arthur.

The two-headed, three armed Zaphod Beeblebrox is the President of the galaxy and comes across almost like a cross between rocker David Lee Roth and President George W. Bush, especially with his southern drawl. Marvin the manically depressed Paranoid Android is also a riot, as voiced by Alan Rickman and he looks like something from Spaceballs. The Vogon minions look like crosses between Mr. Potato Head and pigs, dressed up in leather S&M gear. Some of the higher ranking Vogons resemble characters from the film “The Wall.”